'Redhook family' grieves loss of coworker killed in keg explosion

Friday

Apr 27, 2012 at 3:15 AM

By JIM HADDADINjhaddadin@fosters.com

PORTSMOUTH — To those who worked with him at the Redhook Ale Brewery and pub in Portsmouth, Benjamin Harris was known as a wonderful man, dedicated colleague and friend to all who knew him, company officials said this week.

Harris died of injuries sustained when a pressurized beer keg he was cleaning exploded on Tuesday morning. Harris, who lived in Newington and grew up in Pennsylvania, was newly married and expecting a child.

The company announced on Thursday that a plastic beer keg was involved in the tragic accident, which occurred at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday, April 24.

In a statement, Vice President of Commercial Operations Andy Thomas expressed gratitude to the community for the support shown to Redhook employees and Harris' family and friends.

"We are grateful for the outpouring of support that we've received from the community after Tuesday's tragic accident in Portsmouth," Thomas wrote.

Harris had been a Redhook employee for more than seven years. He began working at the Cataqua Pub, and was most recently a part of Redhook's brewing operations team.

His wife, Alysha Miller, was also a server in the pub.

On Thursday, Thomas announced a fund has been established to benefit Harris' unborn child.

"Ben was a wonderful man, a dedicated member of our team and a friend to all who knew him," Thomas wrote. "We are heartbroken by this tragedy and are grieving with the family."

According to Thomas, the keg that ruptured and critically injured Harris was not owned or used by Redhook Brewery, nor was the keg owned by any other brewery operated by Craft Brew Alliance, Inc., Redhook's owner and operator.

Thomas said it is normal protocol for the brewery to receive kegs that aren't theirs from time to time. Thomas also confirmed that Harris was handling the keg at the time it exploded.

"It is extremely important to us that we understand exactly what happened before we share additional information about this tragedy," he wrote of the ongoing investigation into the industrial accident. "There is an evaluation in progress and we can assure you that we will issue further information when the report is complete."

"In the meantime, we ask for continued thoughts and prayers for Ben's family, friends, and everyone touched by this accident," Thomas added.

Built in 1996, Redhook's brewery at Pease Tradeport utilizes a 100-barrel brewing system and has an annual capacity of 215,000 barrels, according to the most recent annual report filed by Craft Brew Alliance, which operates the Redhook brand, as well as Widmer Brothers and Kona beers.

The company operates four "highly-automated, small-batch breweries," including the one in Portsmouth and other facilities in Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.

It also operates a small manual brewpub-style brewing system at the Rose Quarter Brewery in Portland, Ore..

Operations in Portsmouth came to a halt this week after the Tuesday industrial accident, and the pub remained closed through the middle of the week.

Dozens of Harris' colleagues attended visiting hours Thursday at the J. Verne Wood Funeral Home in Portsmouth. Among them was former coworker Amanda Telford, who remembered that Harris was always positive on the job. Telford left Redhook about two years ago, but returned to be with former coworkers and remember Harris.

"Once you're part of the Redhook family, you're always part of the Redhook family," she said.

"He was a very nice guy," said Sandy Kennedy, of York, Maine, who worked with Harris' sister in Portsmouth for several years before meeting Harris for the first time when he relocated to the Seacoast from Pennsylvania. "He was well-liked by everybody."

"We love him, and we're hurting," said a woman standing outside the funeral home during Thursday's wake. She identified herself as a member of the "Redhook family."

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at the Redhook Ale Brewery with a reception immediately following. Friends are invited.

The family asks that memorial contributions be made to: The Alysha Miller Harris Baby Fund c/o TD Bank, 20 International Drive, Portsmouth, NH, 03801. For more information, call 603-430-3812.

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